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Portrait of a Woman, probably Aeltje Dircksdr. Pater
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
Portraits by Hals often feature bold, jagged brushstrokes. This portrait shows him experimenting with the “wet-into-wet,” technique, in which layers of paint were added in succession without being allowed to dry in between. Note the blended strokes used at the woman’s hairline to suggest individual strands of hair. The sitter has been tentatively identified as Aeltje Dircksdr. Pater (1597–1678), wife of the Haarlem brewer and burgomaster (mayor) Jan de Wael (1594–1663). An inscription states she was 41 when Hals painted her.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit linePortrait of a Woman, probably Aeltje Dircksdr. Pater, 1638. Frans Hals (Dutch, c. 1581–1666). Oil on canvas; framed: 82 x 67 x 6.5 cm (32 5/16 x 26 3/8 x 2 9/16 in.); unframed: 66.5 x 52.3 cm (26 3/16 x 20 9/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund, 1948.137
